Tuesday, April 17, 2018

(Arvada, Colorado) Arvada City Hall got off on the wrong track when it railroaded through the $30 Land Deal last month and the grassroots group Arvada for All the Peopleis going to court to get the local government back on the right rails.

A Complaint for Declaratory Relief was filed late yesterday in Jefferson County District Court. The suit asks that the City of Arvada be found in violation of its own laws and procedures, and that the council's approval of the $30 Land Deal Preliminary Development Plan be deemed invalid. Defendants in the action are the City of Arvada, Arvada Urban Renewal Authority, and developer Trammell Crow.

On Monday, March 19, 2018, the city council of Arvada passed a motion to rehear the $30 Land Deal Preliminary Development Plan (PDP) that had been rejected just 55 days earlier. The project formally named “Olde Town Residences” was then passed by the council 6-to-1 at that same meeting.

Arvada for All the People contends that the council motion was based on a wrong interpretation of the City's Land Development Code §3.1.17. That section mandates a previously defeated PDP must wait a year before being reconsidered if it is substantially the same – unless the council explicitly agrees to hear it sooner. Contrary to the City Charter, the council took no official action to have another Public Hearing until after it was formally scheduled and the Public Notice posted. The vote to rehear the plan occurred less than a hour before the new hearing was opened.

City emails from a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request by Arvada for All the People show that Arvada Urban Renewal and the developer were discussing literally only two days after the council originally defeated the project to revive the plan and railroad it through as quickly as possible.

Arvada for All the People argues that citizens and taxpayers depend upon the rule of law to ensure that participation in government decisions is open, fair, and meaningful. There is grave injury to the whole democratic system when government itself subverts due process for citizen involvement. As in this case, when government officials re-interpret law for the advantage of powerful special interests, then the entire concept of government of, by, and for the people is severely damaged.

“This is the kind of maneuver that creates distrust and cynicism towards local government. Heavy-handed agencies like Arvada Urban Renewal – with millions of taxpayer's dollars to giveaway – brazenly defying the expressed views of a majority of the city council and the citizens to railroad through a project already rejected sets a precedent dangerous to democracy,” said Dave Chandler, spokesperson for Arvada for All the People. “We tried to alert City Hall to the mistaken route they were taking before March 19 and were ignored. Going to court is a last resort, but the only way now to get Arvada City Hall back on the right track.”

The citizens grassroots group, Arvada for All the People, dedicated to local government reform, began calling attention to the “Olde Town Residences” apartment complex plan a year ago. The $30 Land Deal refers to the nine acres of publicly-owned, prime real estate that was to have been “sold” for $30, and all sales and property tax revenue rebated to the developer until 2034. The group has long maintained that the size of the high density residential project makes it inappropriate and incompatible with the site and location at 56th Avenue and Wadsworth Bypass in Olde Town Arvada.

Arvada for All the People is represented by attorney Karen Breslin of Progressive Law LLC.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

I don’t make it a habit to share my personal opinions about individual people in a public forum, but in the weeks since January 22, 2018, I have heard, read and experienced some things that I feel I need to share.

On that day, city council voted to deny an application for a major apartment complex in Olde Town Arvada -- the $30 Land Deal project -- planned to be part of the Transit Oriented Development for the G Line. Three of the avid supporters of this high-density development are former city council members, Lorraine Anderson and Steve Urban, and former Mayor, Ken Fellman.

As part of our Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request, Arvada for All the People received copies of emails to and from city staff and city council regarding the denial of this project. All of those documents can be found at www.ArvadaforAllthePeople.com. Following are a few excerpts from those emails.

Lorraine Anderson(former council member)

“…the who don’t like it (our community) should move to Wheat Ridge…”

Referencing current council members: “They take no responsibility for the Olde Town area.”“…some said it was not their job…”

Referencing District 1 council member Nancy Ford: “I sent her a scathing email.”“They just think the people opposed are tough. Wait till election time. I actually thought it was like when Ted, Joanne, Bernie and Dyer were running wild.” (other former council members.)

Steve Urban(former council member)I couldn’t decide what parts to share so I am just posting this entire email.

Does he honestly believe that the Mayor or other council members did not talk to the applicant before the hearing? Perhaps the real reason he (and Lorraine Anderson) are so “pissed off” is because they are two of the people responsible for “planning” all the high-density housing development in Olde Town in the first place. Read about his “vision” in his next email:

Ken Fellman

The comments made by Lorraine Anderson and Steve Urban are disrespectful, but not surprising. And then there is Ken Fellman…

There are certain elected and appointed city officials who routinely attempt to encourage me to acknowledge my positive experiences with city matters. In an honest effort to do just that, I decided at the second public hearing on the Olde Town project, to approached Mr. Fellman, and introduce myself for the specific purpose of commending him on his defense of Nancy Ford in the email message shown above. Besides refusing to shake my hand (maybe he has some aversion to germs or something?), his only response was to give me some very negative commentary about the content of our website. He followed that with a strong suggestion that I should do something about it.

So, Mr. Fellman, this post is for you.

Ken Fellman, Former Arvada Mayor

Because we are outspoken advocates for protecting our great city from becoming the Aurora of the west metro, we have had our fair share of ugly comments made about us. They have come from current and former city officials, as well as private citizens.

As an example, I was once told that I “just wanted to be on camera”. Since I am not the one who does the media interviews for our group, I have no idea what that even means. Surely, a 3-minute comment at a public hearing aired on Channel 8 doesn’t really count as being “on camera”.

We have learned not to take the unpleasant comments directed toward us, seriously or personally. Instead, we choose to recognize that people are hearing what we have to say.

As for the content of this website; however much you agree or disagree with the editorial nature of the stories, their content is factual. There would be no reason for us to do the work we do, if all we shared was information you could find in the city government's newsletter The Arvada Report.